Ghanian Coach: 'African players have no discipline'

Kunjufu · (#1 (**permalink**))

Ghana coach gets FA boss backing

The GFA has given its backing to coach Ratomir Dujkovic

The president boss of the Ghana Football Association (GFA), Kwesi Nyantakyi, has supported coach Ratomir Dujkovic after a newspaper interview.

Nyantakyi has accepted the coach's explanations of the controversial comments attributed to him. The most contentious quotes attributed to Dujkovic were those about the discipline of black Africans. "They have none, Africans have a different mentality from Europeans or the South Americans," it said.

The article also quoted the Serbian coach as saying "the whole country is being ungrateful" and "I don't want to train the team anymore."

Nyantakyi then called a meeting between Dujkovic and the GFA management and insists they came to an understanding. Dujkovic claimed he had been misrepresented and admitted his remark that the government wanted him out of the job was based merely on rumour.

"He (Dujkovic) obviously saw the folly in that rumour," Nyantakyi said in a statement on the GFA's website. "The coach denied that he described black Africans as being undisciplined.

"According to him, he told the reporter that when he assumed office as coach of the Black Stars the problem of discipline was pervasive in the camp and he had to stamp his authority and institute measures to stamp it out.

"His mention of Africans but not black Africans was in relation to the absence of facilities for football development. "He concluded that the reporter probably misunderstood him and merged the two issues for inexplicable reasons.

"On the third issue, Dujkovic explained that indeed he was frustrated by comments and insults heaped on him by Ghanaians after the Nations Cup in Egypt, but as a professional, he would never walk out of his contract.

"He will continue to train the team up to the end of his contract.
"What he said was that after the expiry of his contract in December 2006, he may or may not be with the team." Ghana are currently in England, where they continued their World Cup preparations with a 4-1 win over Jamaica in Leicester on Monday. The Black Stars will travel to Scotland on Saturday for a